The award was created in 1956 by two sports writers, Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, from France Football, a French magazine. Originally, the men’s award was limited to European players, but in 1995 it was expanded to include all players of any origin active at European clubs. Finally, in 2007, it became a global award with all professional footballers being eligible.
The women’s Ballon d’Or started in 2018 when Ada Hegerberg was named the inaugural winner. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Groupe Amaury – owners of France Football and L’Equipe – have co-organised the Ballon d’Or since the 2024 edition. The Ballon d’Or trophy on display [File: Benoit Tessier/ ] Share What is the Ballon d’Or? on social media Hello, welcome and thanks for joining our live coverage of the 2026 Ballon D’Or awards ceremony.
Football’s most prestigious individual honour will be awarded at the big night in London, with Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe among the frontrunners in the men’s category. Spain’s Alexia Putellas is favourite to collect the women’s award for the third time. The 70th edition, established by the magazine France Football, will be hosted in England for the first time in recognition of the first winner, Stanley Matthews, and fittingly could have a first English winner for 25 years.
One football journalist from each of the 100 top nations in FIFA’s rankings is invited to cast votes for their top 10 players from a 30-person shortlist, allocating a maximum of 15 points down to one based on their ranking. The Ballon d’Or goes to the player who accrued the most points. I’m Patrick Keddie, and I’ll bring you the live build-up with the analysis and news surrounding the ceremony, as well as photo coverage of the day.
Alex Hoad will bring you live text commentary of the awards. We process your personal information to measure and improve our sites and service, to assist our marketing campaigns and to provide personalised content and advertising. By clicking the button on the right, you can exercise your privacy rights.
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